Do you want to stay healthy but can’t stick to your fitness goals? Do you find it hard to make exercise a habit? If your answer is yes, then you are not alone.
Everyone thinks they should include fitness exercises in their daily routine, but most of them fail because of one reason or another. The common reason why many people fail to adopt a healthy life is that they struggle to change their routines.
Although they understand how including workout sessions in their daily life can improve their mood, sleep schedule, and reduce health risks, they don’t succeed. So, what should one do? Well, that is what we will discuss in this piece. In this post, you will find some effective ways to make exercise a habit and live a healthy life.
But before that,you should realize that your busy schedule is not the reason you fail to include exercise in your daily routine. Instead, the biggest challenge is mental. Maybe you hesitate to challenge yourself, you don’t want to leave your comfort zones, or you easily get discouraged. Keep in mind that regardless of your age, busy routine, and fitness level, you can make exercise a habit. So, let’s begin and find out ways to do that.
How to Make Exercise a Habit?
Every year,people create a New Year’s resolution to reduce weight and get in shape. However, before February, their priorities change. If you find it hard to stick to your New Year’s fitness goals, here are some effective ways to build new habits.
1. Always Start Slow
While setting goals, your mind automatically divides your tasks into one linear plane. This means that from the first day, you make up your mind to work out 60 minutes a day, five times a week. Initially, that might sound good. But, following this routine can be challenging. With time, you start to skip your exercises and struggle to follow through. Eventually, you may want to give up.
Instead, you should start slow with easy exercises to build momentum and confidence. Try exercising for 30 minutes a day and stick to that routine. Once you get used to this routine, you can add more challenging goals.
2. Set Triggers
Triggers will lead you to success and help you make exercise a habit. Research suggests that you can form habits by adding triggers. Triggers act as reminders that kickoff automatic reactions. When you include triggers in your life you can put your routine on autopilot. You can set an alarm for your workout session and whenever it rings, you should head straight to the gym.
3. Reward Yourself
Many people use rewards to motivate themselves. Whenever they complete their exercise, they immediately buy something rewarding. Rewards can be anything that you love. For instance, if you like books, you can buy a new book when you complete your weekly exercise routine without skipping. It can be something simple as well, such as your favorite coffee or a hot bath. Rewarding will bring energy and create a sense of well-being.
4. Choose Right Activities
If you feel tired of your current exercise routine, you shouldn’t stick with it. It is okay to challenge your limits to achieve your fitness goals. However, when you develop a new routine, you need to go light. Therefore, you should choose activities that are easy to accomplish. For instance, rather than lifting heavy weights or running, you can pick activities that fit your current taste, abilities, and lifestyle. If you want to plan your workout sessions, here are some effective exercises that you can include.
5. Make it a Game
If you love games, you will probably love this step to make exercise a habit. Create a points table, similar to the one in your favorite game. When you keep scores of your activities, you can easily adapt exercise as a habit. Keeping scores will keep you motivated in the long-term.
Also, you can play games that involve physical activities such as bowling, soccer, and tennis. Dancing is also a great exercise that will pump your entire body’s muscles. This is an interesting and fun way to keep you active and motivated.
6. Mix Your Activities
Pairing your exercises with activities that you like will motivate you to achieve your fitness goals. Imagine, if you love Netflix shows, you can ride your stationary bike while watching one. Also, you can talk with your friend on the phone while walking, or dance to music while cleaning your home. Moreover, if you love to play golf, you can walk instead of using a cart.
7. Make it Social
If you are looking for motivation to head to the gym, you should socialize with people.When you have friends in the gym, you will feel motivated to meet them. You can join a soccer club or seek out a tennis partner. When you have someone to socialize with, you will exercise with motivation. Your friends will help you head to the gym every day.
8. Stay Flexible
Many people quit fitness training with changes in their schedule. Perhaps, they start a new job, moved to a new house, or joined college. Regardless of the strict schedule and changes in life, you need to stay consistent with your goals. Don’t give up. Keep in mind that flexibility in life will keep you going. If you find it hard to head to the gym, you can change your exercise routine. That said, you must never give up your habit because of major life changes.
Conclusion
The above-mentioned ideas will help you make exercise a habit. Keep in mind that mental preparedness and the right strategy will get you going. So, make sure you follow the tips discussed in this piece and achieve your fitness goals this year.